Hi Scott,

I've heard pros talk about taking one side out of play, and that idea appeals to me but I have no idea how to accomplish it.  The biggest consistent roadblock to me scoring well is keeping the tee shot in play, especially at the course I play most often, which punishes even slightly off-line tee shots.  I have tried to counter this by hitting 3-woods, hybrids, 4-irons, etc. off the tee on tight holes and scoring with the wedges and putter, but it seems like I could really improve my chance of scoring on some holes if I could take one side of the hole out of play (i.e., make sure if I miss, it will be on the side of the hole that will provide the least punitive damage).

I'm not sure what information I should give to help you answer the primary question below.  I'm about a 9 or 10 hdcp ... I'm also a fader, and when I miss a fairway it can be either a straight pull or a push-fade, so you can see where that might be a problem on a tight course.  Typical "well hit" yardages for me are 275 (approx.), 250, 230, and 205 for my driver, 3-wood, 19° hybrid, and 4-iron, respectively.  So I feel like I hit the ball far enough, just not straight enough!  My equipment is listed here --> Okay ... enough lurking! (hope that link works).

While I need to work on all of the areas of my game, it feels like placing the first shot safely in play is the key to me being able to score consistently ... so I am reasoning that if I could take the danger side of a fairway out of play, I could hit a longer club and get that shot a bit closer to the green, which should allow me to more consistently get the ball closer to the hole on the approach shot which in turn will lead to lower scores.

Is that sound reasoning, and are there any general tips or drills you can suggest to help me achieve that goal?

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

Greg

Greg

I learned a tip a long time ago that might help your perception of the trouble and of taking one side out of play.  

This is an old antiquated tip that has been around for a millinium, or at least a century and simply says that when you tee up your ball, go to the side of the tee box where the trouble lies.  Aim down the center of the fairway or to the other side of the fairway where there is the least amount of trouble, that way, should you pull or fade you have some leeway.  I saw an older gentleman (I think it was the father), consel an LPGA player and where to tee up the ball on hole 6 at Pine Needles in the 2001 US Open practise round.  So I feel it is a legitimate tip we tend to forget but is a relevant reminder even at some of the highest levels in golf. 

 Secondly, who says you have to hit driver off the tee.  I think your yardages are fine.  Always play strategy.  We have a par 4 hole at our course with a narrow green that I would never consider using a driver.   It is a 3 iron to the 150 stake and an 8 iron in.

 DGW

An excellent tip ... thanks for posting it, DGW ... I do that intuitively, and I have no doubt that it helps some, so perhaps I need to keep that more in the front of my decision-making process ...

I also agree with (and enthusiastically employ) your second point, and am continually amazed at the number of times I see guys banging away with driver on a short, tight par 4.  For example, I played the short local muni course Monday and only hit driver 3 or 4 times, 3-wood twice, and hybrid once ... the rest were 4-5-6 irons to spots in the fairway.  And that strategy works great on such a course.  My problem is on championship-type courses, you know, maybe 6500 - 6800 or more yards with trouble on at least one side of almost every hole ... when I hit 4-iron off those par 4's I've got another 4-iron (or more) into the green ... and it puts a lot of pressure on my short game when I'm hitting long irons into all of the par 4's ... there are several par 4's at my usual course that require mid-to-long irons even if I hit driver off the tee ...

Much to my continual chagrin, I don't have time or money to play or practice enough to get to the point where I can hit the ball at my target every time, so it seems to me that if I can at least get to the point where I can keep the majority of my misses to one side or the other, I can use a bit more club on some of the long par 4's to shorten my approach shots and turn some of those bogies into pars and some of those scrambled pars into birdie chances ...

Anyway, it was just a thought ... maybe the only sure answer is playing more so that I can groove a more repeatable swing ... over the past several years my handicap has dropped to the lowest it's ever been, and I'm enjoying playing golf more than ever (which is saying something) ... not sure which is the cause and which is the effect, but the key is that I'm having fun and didn't have to lower my standards! 

Greg,

Equipment looks fine.  Did you have the driver fit for you?  You may at least look at finding someplace in Missouri that has a launch monitor to check the relative data for your swing (launch angle, ball speed, spin, etc.)

As for taking one side out of play, as some of the other replies you have gotten, these are all good straegies.  But I would like to offer a few more.

First, a good friend of mine is from Scotland and tells a story when he was a young assistant professional and aspiring player at Carnoustie.  It was a year Carnoustie hosted the Open and Trevino was in early to practice.  My friend and Trevino played more than a few rounds together and Trevino said to my friend on the first hole one day "my fairway is bigger than yours."  Not wanting to question or argue, it took my friend a few holes to finally ask "Mr. Trevino, what do you mean your fairway is twice as big as mine?"  Trevino replied, "you like to hit that 5 yard draw down the middle, right?"  My friend answered, "absolutely, I love that shot."  Trevino said, when you hit that shot you aim down the middle and only have 20 yards (half the fairway) to miss it in.  I play down the left side and have the whole fairway to use.  My fairway, therefore, is twice as wide as yours."  Hence, Greg, whatever the shape of your normal shot, use it to land the ball in the part of the fairway you want your ball to be in.

Secondly, watch your tee height.  Many players think they need to tee it lower to keep more control.  It's actually quite the oppposite.  When you tee a modern driver low and hit it low in the face, you produce more spin, both backspin and sidespin.  Either or both will cause the ball move more than a normal tee shot (the ones we like to hit on wide open fairways) and therefore make the shot more difficult to control.  So the age old adage really applies today: "tee it high and let it fly."

Finally, when you do want to control the height and amount of curve in a tight fairway and have to or want to hit driver, grip down on the club about an inch.  What you are doing there is in essence shortening the club with the same shaft. This in effect stiffens the shaft of the club.  You will always hit a stiffer shaft lower and straighter.  (This goes back to being sure your driver is the properly fitted one for you for spin, launch and ball speed.) This a technique that PGA and Champions TOUR player D.A. Weibring utilizes to this day.

Try these three things and let me know how that driver is working and how your control and placement on the course are.  Good luck and have fun.  And take the proper side of the course out of play.